Not the Marrying Kind (29 page)

Kat pressed her legs against Sadie’s flanks
and rode forward.

“Morning, Joshua,” she called as she emerged
from the grove into the clearing around the cabin.

If he were surprised to see her, he didn’t
show it. “Morning, Kat,” he replied as he poured yet another bucket
of water over his head. Like a wet dog, he shook to clear the water
away. Kat giggled as water sprayed against her legs. “Sorry about
that.” Joshua looked up and grinned.

“My fault,” she said. He probably didn’t
hear. Her voice was barely more than a hoarse whisper.

“What brings you here so early, Kat? You
finished with that mending already?” He set the bucket aside and
peered around, obviously looking for his bundle of socks.

“No, not yet. I was just out riding, that’s
all. I thought maybe you’d like to go riding with me. That is,
unless you’ve got something else to do.” Until that moment, it had
never occurred to her that maybe Joshua would turn down her
invitation. She held her breath.

“Sounds right nice, Miss Kat. Give me a
couple minutes to grab a shirt and shoes.”

Kat looked down at the man’s bare feet.
Damn, but they were huge.

Slowly, her gaze moved up, then stopped.
With her thoughts already fired up by the sight of the half-naked
man, she gasped, realizing without doubt what they said about the
size of a man’s foot. Oh, Lordy!

She’d never been one to faint, but she
nearly swooned now.

“You all right, Kat?”

“Never been better.” She smiled, and licked
her lips as Joshua headed for the cabin.

Moments later, with shirt and boots on, he
came out again. Kat watched with growing admiration as he saddled,
then mounted the bay. Funny, but she hardly even noticed his bad
leg anymore, she realized. He favored it a bit, but it didn’t
really cause him much problem. He was definitely a strong, powerful
man.

“Got something on your mind, Miss Kat?” he
asked as they rode side-by-side. “You’re looking thoughtful.”

She shrugged. “Just thinking about things.
This and that, you know. Nothing important.”

“How’s everything at the Rocking P?”

Kat tensed, thinking back to the previous
day. Sooner or later, she had to speak up, tell Joshua what was on
her mind. She just had to be careful how she approached the
subject. Of course, she’d never done anything like this before. How
did a woman go about seducing a man?

“You know how things are going,” she said.
Maybe honesty really was the best policy as she’d so often been
told. “Pa’s given the beef contract to Wes Randall, and he’s still
expecting me to marry Reverend Kendrick.” She looked up, unashamed
of the tears that welled in her eyes. “I don’t see any way to avoid
it, short of running away.”

“Running away doesn’t solve too many
problems, I’ve learned.”

“No, it doesn’t. Sooner or later, the
problems catch up with us.” She drew back on Sadie’s reins. “How
about we stop here?” she suggested, motioning toward another leafy,
sheltered grove.

“Sure, if that’s what you want to do.”

Kat smiled, grateful that Joshua seemed so
willing to go along with whatever she suggested. It boded well for
what lay ahead, she thought. She climbed down, leaving Sadie to
graze on her own. Joshua climbed down from his horse, too. Brushing
a few dead and decaying leaves from the ground, Kat sat down and
leaned back, peering up through the tops of the tall pine trees
toward the clear blue skies.

“You know, I’d never really given much
thought to marriage until recently.” She closed her eyes,
frightened yet excited by the desires surging through her veins.
“Not until you brought it up.”

“Marriage? I brought it up?”

Kat opened her eyes. Joshua definitely
looked as confused as he sounded.

“Well, yeah. You talked about how marriage
might be a good thing for me. With the right man,” she added.

He smiled. “I remember now. Yes, I think
it’s true.”

“So do I. I mean, some folks are obviously
not suited for each other. Like me and Reverend Kendrick. I curse
like a drunken cowboy at a Saturday night hoe-down, and with him
being a godly man, you know, I don’t think he’d be inclined to
tolerate such coarse speech.”

“I can see where that might be a problem. Of
course, the right man would be someone who’s accustomed to hearing
those sorts of words. The right man would probably use a few coarse
words of his own from time to time. Would you object to that?”

“Oh, no! Not at all.”

“And the right man would appreciate your
abilities, your unique abilities, I mean. A man like Kendrick wants
a traditional woman, right?”

“Which isn’t me.” She laughed.

“No, not at all. You wouldn’t be happy shut
up in that little parsonage in town. You need the wide-open spaces,
the great outdoors. You love getting out and riding the range.” He
gestured toward the horses. “And the right man, of course, would
appreciate those things. He’d accept you just the way you are.”

She gave him what she hoped was a coy,
demure smile. Without her mirror, she couldn’t judge how successful
her expression was. “Now, if only I could find the right man…” Her
voice trailed off on the soft sigh she’d practiced so long and hard
to perfect.

Joshua grinned broadly and edged a little
closer. “You know, Miss Kat, the right man might be a lot closer
that you realize.”

His nearness—and his bold words—shook
her.

Her heart thumped and the blood pounded in
her head, but she couldn’t let fear hold her back. She must be
every bit as bold as he had been. Pushing away the last vestiges of
the modesty with which she’d been raised, she reached out and
placed a hand on his arm.

“I need your help, Joshua. I want to know
how to please a man, how to, well, satisfy his needs.” Too
embarrassed to meet his gaze, she looked down. Noticing the bulge
in his pants, she let out a gasp. Lordy! He truly wanted her.

Don’t faint now. Be brave. Be bold.

She thought back to the time he’d kissed
her. He must have had the same thought. Suddenly his arms were
around her, pulling her into an embrace that took her as close to
heaven as she’d ever been. Dear Lord, she wanted Joshua’s kisses.
She wanted his touch. She wanted him in every way.

* * * *

She didn’t draw away, didn’t put up any
resistance. Joshua’s tongue delved inside her mouth as he deepened
the kiss.

He meant to kiss her hard and fast, then get
the hell away from her. For the past two hours as they’d ridden
together, he’d watched her, distracted by the defiant tilt of her
head and the unmistakable flash of desire that flickered in her
eyes.

Now, with her in his arms, he breathed in
the sweetness of her, a soft, lavender scent mixed with the wild
sage and red clover growing on the hillside.

Whoa, fellow,
he told himself as his
own urges threatened to overpower his good sense. He had enough
complications in his life without getting emotionally tangled up
with any woman, and besides, he was turning this particular woman
over to Cody…wasn’t he?

But he couldn’t stop kissing her. Kat
Phillips had the sweetest lips he’d ever tasted, lips that tasted a
lot like that heavenly apple pie, rich with cinnamon and sugar. His
hands moved downward and his body throbbed. Who would have thought
those small but seductive breasts could stir such passion? When his
thumb slid over one nipple, Kat moaned at the touch.

If she’d only try to move away, he’d let her
go. But she pressed closer as though wanting more. He explored her
hot mouth with his tongue, feeling the warmth and wetness, the
softness of her lips.

Somewhere in the kissing and touching, his
fingers reached for the buttons of her shirt. Quickly he unfastened
each one, and then his hands were diving inside, reaching in to cup
her breasts against his palms. She pulled the shirt open, exposing
her bare chest to him. His hands continued moving slowly
downward.

Kat suddenly gripped his arms, then reached
up to stroke the back of his neck. She buried her fingers in his
hair and moaned again.

He moaned with her as years of built-up
tension exploded within him. He needed release. His erection
strained against his trousers, aching for the satisfaction that
only a woman’s body could give.

He had to take her. Right there along the
creek bank. Right then, in the soft shadows of the morning
light.

Suddenly, Joshua came to his senses.

What the hell was he doing? He broke the
kiss, but still held Kat close, his body thrumming with unsated
desires. Damn but she was a tempting morsel. He couldn’t recall
ever wanting any woman so much.

She trembled in his arms, then drew back to
gaze up at him, passion in her deep blue eyes.

“Joshua?” she whispered. “Why did you stop?
Did I do something wrong?”

He smiled down at her, wishing he could
assure her she’d done nothing wrong at all, that no matter how
inexperienced she might be, she possessed a natural, instinctive
passion that could drive any man wild. But it would be too easy to
let his own desires take control again. He had to put a little
distance between them.

“You’re not ready, darling,” he said, his
voice hoarse with need.

Kat grabbed the edges of her shirt and drew
them together. She lowered her gaze and seemed to shrink into
herself. He’d left her unsatisfied, too, he’d realized. Even though
she’d never been with a man before, her body craved release.

Joshua’s throat felt thick and swollen. He
reached out, placed a thumb beneath Kat’s quivering chin, and
slowly raised her face to his. “Before you can please a man, you
have to know how to please yourself.”

“What are you talking about?”

As he’d expected, she had no idea what he
meant, didn’t know the first thing about giving herself
pleasure.

With a gentle touch, he reached down and
spread the shirt apart again, then he took Kat’s right hand in his
and placed it on one breast. “Have you ever touched yourself like
this?” he asked, slowly guiding her hand in the same slow circles
he’d made earlier.

Kat’s mouth came open, her eyes widened, and
she shook her head.

“Go on,” he urged, moving his hand away. “A
woman has to know her own body, darling.”

He heard her sharp intake of breath. A quick
learner, indeed, he thought, noticing how her thumb and forefinger
teased one swollen nipple. Joshua ached to press his tongue to that
dark, erect bud, but for now, he’d have to be content to watch.

“That’s it,” he crooned, when Kat leaned
back and closed her eyes. Both hands now moved across her bare
flesh, lifting and cupping her breasts, teasing and flicking the
nipples. “Now, Kat,” he instructed, “slide your hand down. Over
your belly.” He reached out to guide her hand. “Does it feel good?”
Her legs parted, and she arched her back ever so slightly.

“Yes. Good,” she whispered. “Oh, yes!”

He unfastened her trousers and loosened the
ties of her drawers. Kat responded at once, slipping her hand
inside. Joshua reached down, placed his big hand over hers, and
pressed her fingers between her thighs.

She needed nothing more from him, he
realized.

* * * *

If she’d had her wits about her, Kat might
have been embarrassed at the things Joshua asked her to do, but all
good sense had fled from her head at the touch of his lips to hers.
His kiss left her body shaking, aching for something that seemed to
be just beyond reach, like some colorful rainbow on the
horizon.

Now, Lord Almighty! What were these
incredible sensations, these unbelievable feelings this man had
prompted her to discover? The wetness between her legs thrilled her
as her fingers caressed the sensitive folds, first moving slowly
upward and down again, then drawing tight, tiny circles that left
her gasping and weak with indescribable joy.

Joshua sat beside her. Kat knew he watched
every movement she made. The thought of his gray eyes upon her
excited her, made her writhe as the pleasurable sensations
intensified. When she heard him breathing heavily, the sounds drove
her wild—beyond wildness.

Needing something even more, even greater,
she frantically pushed her trousers, along with her drawers, down
her legs, freeing her limbs and exposing the very center of herself
to the cool morning air. Her hands moved nimbly, stroking and
teasing as fire raged through her body. She opened her legs wider,
arched upward and shuddered as sudden waves of pure ecstasy washed
over her. A gentle breeze stirred her already aroused flesh,
spurring her on toward dizzying new spirals of pleasure.

And then, his hand was on her, hot, heavy,
his fingers searching and finding her wet core, twisting and
turning in the damp, fiery curls. “You’re driving me crazy, Kat,”
he murmured, thrusting one finger deep inside her. He withdrew it,
then plunged it in again, and again.

Kat cried out his name, taking all he gave,
yet no matter how high he carried her, her body refused to be
sated. She wanted more, needed more. She needed him inside her.

“Joshua,” she called again, panting and
breathless. “Please, show me what it means to be a woman.” She
clutched at the waistband of his trousers, ready to rip off those
damned pants if that’s what it took to persuade him.

“Easy, easy,” he crooned, stretching out
full-length beside her. “You know it’s going to hurt at first.” He
unfastened his trousers.

“I don’t care.” She jerked her head from
side to side, still caught in the throes of ecstasy. “Please,
Joshua. Hurry!”

“Are you ready, darling?”

Kat nodded and he moved over her. When she
felt his swollen shaft prodding against her narrow opening, she
sucked in a deep breath, preparing for the pain she knew would
come.